


One Last Mission

by SocialDeception



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Because that's what I want, M/M, Roughed up RE6 Leon with Krauser, that's what everyone should want
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-03-25 07:47:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3802450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SocialDeception/pseuds/SocialDeception
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leon's objective was clear.</p><p>Get in, plant explosives, neutralize any threat and get out.</p><p>But when he encounters a familiar face from the past it doesn't seem all that easy anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ukenceto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ukenceto/gifts).



> I hope this makes up for all the heartbreak.

Leon kept his flask in his jacket. In that secret little pocket, reaching for a sip when he knew people couldn't see.

Here, alone in his apartment, he knew it didn't matter, so he openly took a swag of the flask, swallowing the bitter fluid without flinching.

"One last mission."

The words slipped out before he could stop himself and he glanced around his empty apartment for a second, shameful, half-way expecting someone to overhear. The small studio apartment was empty, of course, but he still glanced around him before emptying the flask in four big gulps, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he lowered it. He felt he owed it to his fallen friends and comrades to finish it, but right now, in the middle of the night, in his alcohol-fueled mind, all he could think about was how to escape.

_One last mission._

That's what Chris had said. Umbrella was finished. Albert Wesker dead. TRICELL and all the other jolly sub-divisions done. The Family, the whatever. Right now he couldn't even remember all the names, staggering to his feet.

"...Fucking monsters" He slurred, stumbling into the small bathroom. Because, that's what they all were, right? Monsters hidden behind benign little names. Monster was the only word fitting for them.  
  
Leon stood in the dark for a second before switching on the lights, squinting as the lights flickered lazily to life. He tried to avoid the mirror most of the time, but now he stared at his own reflection, for once not worried about the man staring back at him.

He'd been just twenty-one when he joined the Raccoon City Police Department, and part of him felt like he never left. And had he, really? He'd dedicated his whole life to fighting bio-terrorism, killing more...  _Things_ , than he cared to count. Seeing more death and horror than he ever thought possible. Some nights he still felt dirty. Still dirty after scrubbing his body raw in the shower, trying to scrub away gore long gone. No one to really talk to about the things he'd seen, his old school friends drifting away to get married, have children, lead normal lives.

That part made him happy though. Happy in a strange, melancholic way. It wasn't the life he led, but at least he helped in some way. If nothing else, he kept people safe. Somewhat, at least. For a long time that was something he'd wanted as well. Meeting the right person. Settling down. Not this blinding numbness. He tried not to dwell too much on those things, Adam had once told him something that Leon thought about whenever he did, something that always took his mind off things.

Leon studied his face in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, his face tired and strangely hollow, stubble making his face seem thinner and older. He raked his fingers over the stubble, resting at that small scar at his cheek thoughtfully.  
_  
__Easy. In and out. No problem._

A simple mission, but fuck, they were all supposed to be easy fucking missions and they never were.

Another underground facility, and the thought made him shudder a little, he hated being underground, hated that claustrophobic feeling he'd get even from elevators these days. He started filling the sink with cold water, eyes never leaving himself in the mirror. Always more samples. More vials of unimaginable horrors. Vats of gore. But this time. This time they would burn it down for good. He filled his palms with cool, clear water and splashed handfuls over his face and neck.

_One last mission._

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really long. Sorry/Not sorry.

* * *

  
They geared up in silence, eyes darting as they double-checked their equipment. Same routine as always. 

Leon sat a bit further out from the others. He was still a little hung-over, which was bad. He knew it was reckless, but nothing could be done about that now.  
  
 _Not true. You could tell Chris. Abandon the mission. Go home._

Leon tensed his jaw as he fastened the pouches of explosives to his backpack. Some childish part of him refused to go home now. He was so close. They were gonna blow their research to hell, and he wasn't gonna miss it for the world, least of all a lousy hangover.

"You okay?"  
  
Leon jumped a little as Chris spoke, he hadn't even realized the captain had walked up to him.  
  
"You're looking a little pale" His words were kind, but he had a certain look in his eyes. Like he was trying to figure out if Leon was up for this or not.  
  
"I just can't wait to be done with this."  It wasn't a lie. He'd been looking forward to taking these people down for years. 

Chris didn't stress the matter, but he still studied Leon's face. "You're clear on the objective?"  
  
_Christ._  
  
"Go in. Plant explosives. Get out. It's not rocket science."  
  
"We don't know what's down there Leon. Neutralize any of Umbrellas...  _Creations_." The last word dripped with venom and Chris looked like he'd just gotten a whiff of something foul.  
  
"Go in. Plant explosives. Kill stuff. Get out." Leon yawned. "Got it."  
  
He didn't hide his annoyance, and Chris creased his forehead as he searched Leon's face. It looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end he just gave Leon a quick nod before heading off to the rest of the team. Leon was too tired to care, instead he rubbed his eyes and looked over the area they were in.

The area was huge. Made to look inconspicuous, a few scattered main buildings surrounded by wide, empty fields. It made him wonder just how large it was underground and just how quickly he'd be able to go back home. He'd parked his car in the outskirts of the place the day before, hitching a ride with Chris earlier and he cursed himself silently for parking so far away. He just wanted to go in and get back out as fast as possible so he could go back to bed.

 

* * *

 

He felt dehydrated and irritable as they headed down into the facility, so he stayed a few steps behind the others, falling behind on purpose. Finding some peace in the murmur of their conversation, although he didn't really join in or pay close attention.

It looked like the other Umbrella buildings he'd been in. All stainless steel and smooth surfaces, a perfect cover for the murkiness within. It felt different though, abandoned. Like no one had been in there for a while. A strange echo as they made their way down the back stairwell. 

The first floor they entered had a huge reception area, chairs knocked back as if whoever used them had left in a hurry. There was a foul kind of stench in the air. Sweet, like rancid pork and Leon knew what they would find before they pushed open the double doors leading into a large meeting room. A few of the younger guys backed out of the room, covering their mouths as they gagged, eyes bulging.

The meeting must have been interrupted, most of the dead were slumped over in their chairs, like they barely had any time to react, while others had fallen closer to the back door, probably the ones that had enough time to make a run for it. 

There was blood everywhere, and Leon squinted a bit at the overwhelming stench of death. It was so overpowering he could actually _taste_  it in the back of his throat. It was hard to tell how long they had been dead, but if he had to guess he'd say about a week or so. 

"What do you think?" Chris whispered, eyes narrow as he stared at the dead bodies.  
  
Leon stared at the headless corpse of a man in a fancy looking suit.  
  
"Who knows." He didn't mean to sound disinterested or calloused, but at this point it didn't even matter who or what killed these men. All that mattered was to burn this shit to the ground.

As if Chris could read his mind he just nodded. "It doesn't really matter, does it?"  
  
Leon gave a tired little half-smile at that. When did they become so jaded? He almost envied the soldiers who had run out of the room. At least they reacted like human beings. He hated to admit it, but it didn't bother him much anymore.  
  
Apart from the smell, maybe. He'd seen it all, but the smells were hardest to get over. Especially when he'd pass a street vendor or cook bacon for himself on a Sunday morning and his brain would get confused and link the smell to Raccoon City or any of the other places. Death smelled like death, whether it was human or not.

He shook the unwelcome thoughts of his head and raised his head to find Chris staring at him again.

"You sure you're up for this?" He said, that annoying softness in his voice again, like Leon as his kid brother he'd sworn to protect.  
  
"Yeah, Chris, I'm sure."   
  
Chris looked like he was about to say something when one of the soldiers entered the room  
  
"Commander, there's something here you might want to take a look at."

Leon and Chris glanced at each other before following the soldier.

 

* * *

 

The labs were large, narrow rooms, white and sterile, at least they were meant to be. Right now the whole place looked like something out of a bad sci-fi horror.

At least a dozen scientists, it was hard to tell just how many there were unless they took the time to count limbs, were strewn through-out the room. Around them were the decomposing leftovers of Umbrella's experiments. Bullet holes riddled the walls, and it didn't take much to connect the dots.

The huge glass tanks the experiments were originally in were shattered, the water it contained hadn't penetrated the floor or evaporated, and their wet footsteps echoed in the penetrating silence. The water almost seemed thick and gloppy when they crossed the floor and Leon didn't want to dwell too much on the reason why.

Chris' jaw was set and he looked angry when he spoke. "The sooner we can bring this fucking place down, the better." He glanced over at Leon. "Get your explosives ready."

 

* * *

 

The next few hours were uneventful. They planted the explosives in silence, ignoring the gore around them, moving deeper and deeper into the depth of the facility. They split up, no longer any need to be on edge, there were no movements or life in this building, only death and destruction. 

It suited Leon fine. They covered more ground like this, and he'd be free to go back home sooner. Besides, he'd always preferred to work alone, although this job was just mind-numbingly dull. He'd expected something else, he'd expected to be  _fighting_  and the shotgun felt heavy across his back as he went down the staircase into what seemed like the bottom most floor. 

He pushed open the heavy door and the air definitely felt heavier down here, like the ventilation system was failing. Heavier and dusty, but cooler, and he sighed and got a canteen of water out, gulping down a few mouthfuls of tepid water.

There weren't that many doors in the hallway he was in, and as he pushed open the first set of doors he realized why.

The room was large, spread out like a warehouse, and Leon had to keep himself from whistling in surprise. It looked like some sort of perverted store room. massive tanks were put in rows, each containing one abomination after another. These weren't shattered like the tanks in the floors above him, no dead Umbrella scientists and monsters scattered about. 

The word "monster" felt childish to him, but it was all he knew to call them.  
  
They seemed to be either dead or comatose, although he'd guess the latter, since they had oxygen tanks covering their faces, tubes running from the crook of their arms and thick plastic-like restraints around their wrists and ankles. Whatever these things were, it didn't seem like they wanted to risk them getting lose.  
  
It disturbed him. He'd seen the escaped monsters and the aftermath of their attacks, and if they weren't deemed too dangerous to keep restrained, then...  _Well_...

He reached for his walkie-talkie as he walked through row after row of unconscious creatures, some he recognized, some he didn't. For once he wanted the other team here to back him up, and he was just about to push the button when a tank in a corner caught his attention. Leon's eyes grew wide as he came closer to the tank. What it contained differed from the others, not a monster this time, but a man.  
  
A clear oxygen mask obscured his mouth and nose, and half his face was covered in burns, scars and blisters, but still recognizable, still like a punch to the gut, and Leon stretched a hand out, tentatively, letting his fingertips touch the cool glass. All the nights he'd beat himself up for killing him, all the regret and anger, and here he was, evidence on his face that he'd at least been alive for a while after Leon had left him for dead in Spain. Leon glanced quickly behind him, making sure he was still alone in the room before turning back to his old comrade.  
  
Krauser was naked, eyes closed, face relaxed. He looked peaceful. Even if he had ended his life here, in a shoddy underground storage room, well, at least he looked peaceful. He was restrained, tied up around the wrists and ankles like the rest of the creatures down here, left next to some fire extinguishers and various lab equipment like he was just another prop.   
  
Leon studied Krauser's left arm with a frown. He'd always wondered if the mutations were reversible, or only used as a last resort. He couldn't imagine someone like Mendez being able to pick his body back up and merge together again, but Krauser's arm had seemed different somehow. It was relatively normal looking again now. Covered in burns, like his face, but normal. 

His other wounds were not new. Not bright red and raw, but pink. New skin stretched across damaged features, and a lump formed in Leon's throat. Whatever Krauser had been promised, whatever he'd wanted or wished for, it couldn't have been this. Like a fish in a fish bowl, strung up for everyone to see. There was no pride in this.  
  
Leon felt a need to cover him up, hide him from the prying eyes of his fellow soldiers that would undoubtedly be here soon. No matter what had happened to them in Spain, they had been friends before that. Leon had no doubts about that.

He fingered the explosives nervously, suddenly very unsure what to do. Did Krauser have anyone waiting for him? Family? Friends? People who'd want him buried somewhere where they could visit him and not buried with this place like trash? He didn't know, and that felt even worse.

Not that it mattered. He wasn't about to carry Krauser up to the surface by himself and he doubted Chris or the others would be too interested either. His walkie-talkie crackled in his belt, the place far enough down into the ground to make slight audio disturbances. He grabbed it with one hand, pausing, eyes on Krauser's still form, before pushing the button.  
  
"Leon here." His voice didn't betray him, he sounded as calm and collected as he always did.

"We're are you? We're headed downstairs." Chris sounded concerned, and it made Leon wonder just how long he'd been there. Or what they had found in his absence.  
  
"Way ahead of you. There's more tanks down here." He paused. "These aren't broken."  
  
Chris cursed and shouted something to someone in the background, before speaking to Leon again. "Just stay put, we're on our way."

Leon didn't respond, just put his walkie-talkie back in his belt, eyes not leaving Krauser.

During the missions in South America and Spain, Leon had been younger. Smaller. Naive and inexperienced, and Krauser had seemed like everything he was not. But now, Leon thought, it seemed very different, and not just because Krauser was in a tank, burned and naked. Krauser was still muscular, still impressive, but no longer intimidating in the same way. The years had evened them out a little.   
  
Leon cast one last glance before he turned around, looking for a suitable place to attach the explosives while he waited for Chris. His eyes traced the layout of the place, finally resting on what seemed like support beams along the sides, and he made his way over to one of them, careful not to study the creatures in the tanks around him too carefully as he passed them.  
  
He stuck the explosives to the first beam, tugging slightly to make sure it was fastened correctly before moving on to another beam across the room. They had all brought enough explosives to tear this place down ten times over, but he still found himself looking over everything, making sure he'd found the best place for them, trying to convince himself that it wasn't because of Krauser that he suddenly felt so antsy. He knew he should stay put, wait for the others, hell, maybe even go meet them, but he found himself pacing, moving ever so slightly closer to Krauser's tank without thinking. Leon sighed, but it felt as if he couldn't gather enough air, suddenly lightheaded.  
  
He did one final sweep of the room, finding it as empty and devoid of life as when he entered, before finally walking up to Krauser's tank. "I'm sorry." He whispered, knocking his fist weakly against the glass. "I'm sorry for everything."

He couldn't really say what he was sorry for. Maybe all of it. Sorry Krauser had been forced to leave the military, sorry he had sought out Wesker of all people. Maybe  _Sorry I killed you._ He found himself staring up at Krauser as he spoke the words, halfway expecting, or perhaps hoping, that Krauser could hear him, but Krauser didn't move.

Then, somewhere above him, there was a low, rolling rumble. 

At first it was just a sound in the distance, like a storm closing in, but the rumble soon transferred to the walls, making the ground shake under Leon's feet, lights flickering on and off before shutting down completely. There was total darkness for a moment before the emergency lights powered up, blue light casting a ghostly glow over the room.  
  
Leon grabbed his walkie-talkie more annoyed than worried.  
  
"Leon here, what the hell is going on?"

There was no reply, just buzzing static.  
  
"Chris? You there?" He moved around the room now, trying to find an area that would hopefully carry the transmission better.

"... Eon?...."   
  
It was just one word, but it was enough. Leon breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Are you guys okay? What happened?"  
  
"... Ing explo... Whol... flo... is sealed off.... Dam... Eon! ...Ing out n.... Find a.... out!"  
  
Then it gave a last shuddering static before going dead quiet.   
  
"Shit..." Leon felt some comfort in the sound of his own voice as he fastened the walkie-talkie back in his belt, turning on the small flashlight with shaking hands. That tight, claustrophobic feeling hit him again as he walked to the stairwell he'd come from, finding it completely caved in. A cold sweat forming on his forehead as the emergency lights started flickering, and a blaring alarm suddenly went off in the store room.  
  
Leon checked his gun as he rushed towards the shattering wail, worried the alarm would somehow wake the monsters in the tanks. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found the room as blissfully still as before, slowing down as he walked past row after row of caged monsters. The control panel was at the far side of the room, the small red light blinking and leading the way.  
  
He paused as he reached it, hand hovering half an inch over the button. For all he knew this was just another self-destruct sequence or something else ridiculous like that, and considering he was sealed down here it didn't seem like the best course of action.

In the end he didn't have to make the decision, because before he could there was a booming sound, as if the whole structure powered down, and the blue lights died out with the alarm. He kept his hand over it still, unsure what to do, until something broke the silence behind him.   
  
At first it was like someone wading through water, just small wet sounds, but it soon turned into thrashing, banging and muffled cries as the creatures awoke around him.  
  
_Fuck you, Chris_. Leon thought bitterly.  _One last fucking mission indeed._  
  
Leon turned, expecting the shattering of glass and a whole menagerie of freaks surrounding him, but the room was empty. Well, at least as empty as it was ever gonna be with the monsters in the tanks.

The creatures were still bound. At least they had done something right this time around. Some of them lifeless still, others desperately trying to get free from their restraints. Others seemed to just stare at him, motionless, while some tried to break down the glass to get to him, movements awkward and restricted as their guttural screams barely escaped the glass tomb around them. He didn't process this all the way, because one single thought pulsated through his head.

_Krauser!_

So he ignored them, running instead to where he knew Krauser was, hands shaking as he got his flashlight off his belt.  
  
The reflection tricked him for a second when the light moved across the tank, making it seem like Krauser was still asleep, still dead, or whatever he was, but as he lowered the light he drew a sharp intake of breath.

Krauser's pale eyes were staring back at him, but at the same time seeing straight through him. It didn't seem like he recognized him, or even fully knew Leon was there, he just stared blindly at Leon, who in turn stared back, mouth open. Krauser's eyelids fluttered, regaining focus as he seemed to realize two things simultaneously; That he was bound, but more pressingly, that he no longer had air coming from the oxygen mask. His eyes widened in panic, and he moved his arms uselessly against the restraints.  
  
Leon acted from a primitive sort of reflex, not thinking things through as he turned, grabbed a fire extinguisher and bashed it against the tank. The first few hits seemed to bounce off without even nicking the glass, but adrenaline made him frantic. He hit the tank over and over, not realizing right away that the glass was shattering, streams of water seeping out through the tiny cracks. Ignoring the dying sounds of the creatures around him, ignoring Krauser's desperate attempts to breathe, just hitting the tank. Hitting it like he was beating the people responsible for all of this.  
  
He struck it one final time, the glass desperately clinging together for what seemed like an eternity before finally being pushed out by the water. Wet glass glittered dangerously in the light of Leon's flashlight as it shattered across the floor.  
  
Krauser fell to his knees, coughing and gagging, and Leon wondered for the first time what the hell he'd just done.


	3. Chapter 3

Krauser was still bound, but Leon didn't take any chances, he had his gun aimed for Krauser's head as his coughing subsided.

His movements were sluggish, head hanging low as he gave one last bark-like cough, tearing off the useless oxygen mask covering his face before awkwardly pawing at the needle stuck to the inside of his elbow. Leon didn't speak at first, just kept his gun aimed as Krauser lifted his head slowly. He didn't look at Leon, it didn't look like he even knew Leon was there, he just stared around the room.

"Any sudden movements and I'll put a bullet in your skull."  
  
Krauser jerked, his head snapping in Leon's direction. He had that same look of confusion he had in the tank, but it lasted only a few seconds. As recognition flared up in his eyes, there was something else as well, something Leon couldn't decipher. It was there for an instant, and then it was gone.

"Leon?" His voice cracked, and he gave another cough.  
  
"Don't move, Krauser." 

Krauser alternated between staring at Leon and staring at the gun with unveiled surprise.

"Leon? What the hell? What are you doing?" 

Leon's eyes narrowed as he studied Krauser's face, looking for any signs of the deceit he'd come to expect from Krauser.

Was he angry at his old colleague? He knew he should be, but it ran deeper than that. He had trusted Krauser. And God knew Leon had spent enough nights wondering about what exactly went wrong, and what he could have done differently. But looking at him now, it was hard to stay angry.

Krauser had a look on his face that Leon hadn't seen before. His face scarred in such a brutal way that Leon couldn't help feeling sorry for him, knowing fully well that Krauser would hate him for it.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Krauser suddenly started laughing. "You aged like ten years in one day?"  
  
Leon lowered his gun, surprised, but raised it again just as quickly.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"   
  
Krauser was still laughing, but all wrong, humourless and unhinged.   
  
"And why the hell am I naked? Did you---" Krauser started, before he looked down at himself properly for the first time, his laughter dying out as he saw his left arm. 

"What the hell...?" He studied the blistered and broken skin, stunned and silent for the first time.  
  
"I swear to God, Krauser, if this is another one of your fucking tricks..." Leon didn't finish his threat.

"Where's Javier?" Krauser didn't meet his eyes, and Leon was puzzled by his tone, like Krauser didn't really want to hear the answer.  
  
"We killed him. You know that."  
  
Krauser didn't respond, just turned his head to look at Leon. It made Leon hesitant again, but he kept the gun aimed at him.  
  
"We need to move. Walk in front of me, no sudden movements." Leon got his knife out and cut the restraint around Krauser's ankles.

Krauser stood up, a defiant look on his face as Leon raised his gun again.  
  
"How about you tell me what's going on?"  
  
"How about you listen? This place might be coming down. Let's move."  
  
Krauser made no attempts to move, glancing down at Leon's gun, his face hardening.  
  
"I don't think you're in any position to tell me what to do."

Leon couldn't help it, he started laughing.

"Really? Are you  _really_  gonna tell me  _you're_  in any position to argue?" Leon motioned towards Krauser's broken tank with his gun. "You're unarmed, naked and I just saved you from a fucking  _tank_ , Krauser. Now move!"  
  
It looked like Krauser considered this for a moment, his jaw tensing up as he eyed Leon's gun again.  
  
"Fine." he finally said.

Krauser didn't seem self-conscious, but Leon felt an unexpected warmth creep across his cheeks as Krauser moved in front of him, naked, hands still bound. It frustrated him, there was no reason for him to find it uncomfortable, but he found himself hoping they would come across a locker room or something in the near future. 

The thought of them coming to the surface like this was amusing though, he could just imagine the look on Chris' face, but he still felt like he owed Krauser at least some dignity. Although, looking at Krauser now, he wasn't sure if the bigger man felt undignified at all. He seemed unfazed by his own nakedness, instead trying to hide his curiosity as they passed the now quiet tanks around them.  
  
Some of the creatures were still alive. Eyes glittering dangerously as they followed the two men walking past, unblinking and unmoving.  
  
"Mind telling me where we are at least?"   
  
"One of Umbrellas little store rooms" Leon kept it short, still unsure how to deal with Krauser, instead fastening the flashlight to the front of his jacket.

Thinking about things more clearly, he wasn't sure bringing Krauser anywhere near Chris would be a good idea. Leon's mission had been clear. Plant the explosives. Kill any surviving Umbrella creations.  
  
_Creations..._    
  
Just a nicer way of saying mutations and monsters.   
  
_Of saying Krauser._

"Why am I here?"   
  
That one was harder to answer.  
  
"Don't know." Leon scanned the area, but so far all he could see were empty labs and more store rooms. They needed to find a way out of here before the  _things_ in the tanks got out or even worse, before the place crumbled to pieces entirely. Could they run out of air in such a large complex? He didn't know, and he didn't plan on sticking around long enough to find out.

"What happened to my arm?"  
  
Leon sighed.  
  
"Listen, Krauser. There's more pressing matters at hand right now. We're stuck about seven stories underground, I'll answer all your questions later, just help me figure a way out of here."  
  
"Fine." Krauser seemed to go into his old mindset, still angry, but scanning the area more carefully now, and not just out of some idle curiosity.  
  
"And help me find a locker room so you can get dressed."  
  
Krauser turned and gave a slight smirk before resuming the search. "Why? Does it bother you that I'm naked,  _boy scout_?"  
  
Leon snorted. Even after being stored in a tank with other mutated freaks, Krauser was still the same.

"Actually, it does. I don't want to be staring at your naked ass all the way out of here."  
  
"Easy solution to that, Kennedy. Stop looking at my ass." Leon felt that heat across his face again as Krauser chuckled.  
  
"Just move, Krauser."  
 

* * *

  
The area was bigger than Leon had anticipated, much bigger than the floors above, they kept moving into dead ends, yet still nowhere near any exits as far as they could tell. Leon realized that coming down here alone had been a mistake. Like he really needed more proof of what a stupid idea it had been.  
  
Krauser kept quiet most of the time, watching silently as Leon planted what little he had left of explosives whenever he found support beams. It might not matter anymore, but he wanted to do  _this_  part of his job properly. No mistakes this time.

If Krauser did in fact know this place, then he was a better actor than Leon ever gave him credit for, his annoyance matching Leon's whenever they entered another empty lab or reached the end of a corridor without any luck.  
  
"You know, if you untied me---"  
  
"Nice try." Leon didn't look at Krauser as he spoke, just opened another door. "And we're in luck. It's a locker room."  
  
Krauser got that amused look on his face again as Leon motioned for him to enter.

The locker room must have been for the female employees, the first locker contained a few personal affects, a lab coat and a dress set with a skirt. Leon couldn't help himself, he turned to Krauser and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"No way." Krauser stared at the skirt.

Leon chuckled as he closed the locker, motioning for Krauser to follow him as he exited the locker room and went into the one next door. He was relieved when he opened the first locker and found clothes that most definitely had belonged to a man. Though, staring at the article of clothing, Leon realized they would be hard pressed to find anything that would actually  _fit_ Krauser.

"This would take half the time if you just let me open some on my own."  
  
"Strong man like you should be able to open a few with your head, right?" Leon offered smugly, checking over some casual clothing left by someone at least four sizes smaller than Krauser. The thought of Krauser smashing his head into the lockers was oddly amusing.  
  
"Ha-ha." Krauser suddenly sounded tired, and he slumped down on the narrow benches along the wall.  
  
"You alright?" Leon glanced at him. Krauser didn't just sound tired, he  _looked_  tired, eyes dull as he awkwardly tried to rub his temples with his bound hands.  
  
"I'm fine."   
  
Leon didn't press the subject, instead he pulled out some sweatpants that looked more than big enough.

"Here." He tossed them at Krauser. "These ought to fit."  
  
He looked around for some shoes, listening to Krauser shuffling as he tried to pull the pants up with his tied wrists. Instead of asking Krauser's size, he just pulled all the suitable shoes out of the lockers and tossed them unceremoniously on the floor in front of the bigger man.  
  
"Should I even bother looking for a shirt? I seem to recall you enjoying running around without them."   
  
Krauser looked at him with confusion for a second.   
  
"I'd rather have a shirt, thanks." He finally mumbled.

Leon didn't know what it was, but he enjoyed tormenting Krauser a bit. Enjoyed feeling like he for once had Krauser where he wanted him. They'd had some friendly bickering back and forth in South America, but Leon took advantage of Krauser's confusion a bit too often than what was fair now. He was just about to decide to go easier on him, when his hands brushed against strange, silken fabric stuffed in the back of a locker and he snickered as he pulled out a bright yellow shirt with a palm tree on it. He couldn't imagine any Umbrella employees being allowed to wear something like that, but he supposed even evil corporations had casual Fridays.  
  
Krauser didn't protest as he saw it, just gave a weak scowl.

"How do you suggest I put a shirt on with these?" Krauser held out his tied wrists.  
  
"Easy."   
  
Leon pulled the shirt over Krauser's head and over his shoulders and arms. It was a tight fit, but he managed to pull the fabric down about halfway before he was satisfied.

Krauser looked ridiculous. The yellow shirt pulled tightly over his arms made him look like a burrito, that was the only way Leon knew to describe it. The shirt was too short to hide his abdomen, the over-sized grey sweatpants hanging low on his hips with the black combat boots really crowning the outfit.

"You look like you're going undercover at a gay disco during the 80's" Leon snickered.  
  
Krauser glanced down quickly, giving himself a once over, before giving Leon another wide smirk.  
  
"You'd like that, huh,  _comrade_?" His voice had that dangerous edge to it, and Leon wondered for a moment if he did remember Spain.  
  
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." The tone in Leon's voice was back to his professional one, and he motioned towards the door. "Now move."

Krauser followed his lead without a protest.

It was like therapy. All of it. Even, or maybe especially, dressing Krauser up in these ridiculous clothes. It even seemed to keep his headache at bay.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was glad Krauser was down there with him. Talking to another person seemed to keep that tight claustrophobic feeling at bay.

Speaking of which... His walkie-talkie had been quiet since that last transmission with Chris, and he wondered what was going on up there. If they had even reached the surface. He hadn't heard any more explosions since the generators failed and he tried to think logically about it. From what he'd gathered from the garbled conversation with Chris, they were on their way outside. Safe.

He still hadn't figured out what to do with Krauser. He should have shot him. Or left him to drown in the tank. Would probably have been kinder than leaving him with Chris and the others when and if they got outside. Leon had his doubts that the government took lightly on anyone working with Umbrella, least of all someone who'd kidnapped the president's daughter and then attempted to kill a federal agent. He still remembered Sherry and the long interrogations after the Raccoon City incident.

"Uh... Leon?" Krauser interrupted Leon's thoughts, and he suddenly got painfully aware of the sound of someone or  _something_  stumbling around in the hallway to their left.  
  
"Don't move." Leon put his handgun back in it's holster, reaching instead for the shotgun he had flung across his back.  
  
He studied Krauser for a moment before soundlessly moving towards the T-junction. The tight t-shirt would hinder most if not all movement, and it suddenly didn't feel as funny anymore. He made a mental note to peel it off Krauser when he returned.  
  
_If you return._

Leon moved his hair out of his eyes with an annoyed movement. It was all routine now, of course he'd return.  
  
He couldn't afford to blind his flashlight, and the light danced off the walls as he turned the corner.

The hallway was wet. He guessed something must have escaped another tank, and he glanced in both directions before moving cautiously across the slippery floor. He licked his lips slowly. Whatever had made the sounds they'd heard, it was all quiet now. The light made it hard to see far ahead, and Leon squinted a bit as he tried to catch a glimpse of something,  _anything_  in the darkness. He held his breath as the air grew thicker, his senses on edge now, so when there was the tiniest little sound behind him, something lowering itself onto the wet floor, he spun around, gun raised.

It looked like a Licker. A more humanoid, less robust Licker, its blind eyes staring right where it knew Leon was. Its sinewy body strained and ready for attack. 

He hated Lickers. Hated them ever since he first laid eyes on them in Raccoon City, but this one made a cold chill run down his spine. If he'd caught a glimpse of it in the dark, he'd assume it was another person. Only once he got a really good look at it did he realize how horribly  _wrong_ it was. Limbs slightly too long, posture a bit off, horrible, skinless muscle stretched tightly over its bones. It moved differently too; Joint-less, like someone was hanging in the ceiling above them controlling it like a marionette.

It kept lapping the air, like a snake, and Leon knew like he had from the start that this creature knew exactly where he was.  
  
He still had his gun raised, and he aimed for it carefully, silently, staring at it, when there was a slight sound from behind. He fired the shot directly at the creature in front of him, the blast hitting exposed flesh, before falling to his knees as he spun around. There was a shriek, a horrible, wailing scream as the other Licker lunged for him. He wasted a shot, firing it into the wall as the thing tried to wrestle the gun out of his hands, and frantic thoughts went through his head-  
  
_Is this a Licker, were they planning to trick me, does it want the gun, oh my God, what is this..._

-hanging on to the gun as the Licker knocked him to the ground, before he managed to twist the shotgun enough to fire it directly into its face. It fell limply to its side, and Leon trembled as he got to his feet.

"Leon!? Leon, where are you!?"  
  
It had felt like an eternity to Leon, but he realized it couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, and Krauser was running blindly towards him in the darkness.  
  
"I'm fine. Stay where you are!" He called, sounding composed, but feeling far from it. He had been so on edge that the sudden rush of adrenaline made his legs tremble a bit and it made him regret not bringing his flask. He could use a little something to relax. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before he turned to the T-junction where Krauser was standing.

_Time to re-evaluate the situation_ , Leon thought. He couldn't escape the facts any longer.  
  
He had to accept that he stood a better chance against those things with Krauser by his side. Because, to be honest, Leon had seen the aftermath of a Licker attack, and he'd rather just have Krauser stab him in the back.

"Here, hold this for a second." Leon unhooked the flashlight from his jacket and fastened it to the front of Krauser's shirt.  
  
"Shit. Leon, are you alright?"   
  
There was a look of horror on Krauser's face as he stared at Leon in the sudden bright light from the flashlight, and Leon looked down on himself. He was covered in blood.  
  
"I'm fine." He stared down the hallway where he'd encountered the two Lickers and realized the floor must have been wet and slippery from just as much blood as water. "I'm fine." He repeated as he knelt down and got his backpack out. There was enough batteries and canteens of water to last them for a while. He never thought his hang-over would have a silver lining, but here it was; He'd packed enough water to last them both for a while.   
  
_Go dehydration._

He got out his spare flashlight and hooked it to his belt before standing back up.  
  
"I'm gonna cut you loose, but I'm warning you... Any sudden or unexpected movements-"  
  
"Yeah, I get it." Krauser managed to twist his hands out towards Leon so he could cut the restraints, watching Leon's face intently as he worked through the knot.  
  
"Thanks." He said, quickly, rubbing his wrists carefully, and for the first time Leon noticed the angry purple bruises from the restraints. Krauser didn't look at him as he pulled the shirt up far enough to slip his arms through the sleeves properly.  
  
"You're still gonna wear that thing?"   
  
"Don't see many options, do you?" Krauser pulled the sweatpants further up on his hips and made a tight knot.   
  
Leon stared at his handgun, unsure of just how bad an idea it would be to hand it over to Krauser. Krauser must have followed his train of thought, because he made an inpatient sound in the back of his throat which made Leon stubbornly put the handgun back in its holster, pulling out his knife instead.  
  
"I seem to recall you being good with knives," He handed it over. "but you walk in front of me."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. You sound like a broken record." Krauser sounded annoyed, but he seemed more confident with a knife in his hand and he picked up pace as they took the corridor to the right.

 

* * *

  
"Who are you trying to reach?" Krauser glanced over at Leon as he checked the reception again, finding it as dead and silent as the last time he checked.  
  
"Chris." He doubted Krauser knew who he was, but Leon didn't feel like explaining and Krauser didn't ask. Leon put the walkie-talkie back with a sigh. "Was supposed to be an easy operation. In and out."  
  
Krauser smirked. "They never are, are they?"   
  
"Nope." Leon got out a canteen of water and took a few sips before offering it to Krauser.

Krauser must have been parched, he gulped down the water before giving Leon an apologetic look when he handed it back half-empty.   
  
"So what happens when we get out of here?"   
  
Leon didn't get a chance to answer, there was a small cracking sound above them before dust rained over them like snow.  
  
"What the-?" Leon looked at the ceiling, cracks forming above him at an alarming rate.   
  
"Shit..." Without saying anything else Krauser grabbed Leon's wrist, pulling him along as he started running down the hall.   
  
There was a rumble and then the ceiling collapsed.   
  
For a moment it was all still, just Krauser's warm hand, and Leon's quiet gasps as they ran. Then it caught up with them, it was the kind of rumble that resonated deep in both of them, shaking them to their very core, making the ground vibrate under their feet. They lost their balance, slumping against the wall as the floor cracked, coughing as the dust settled.  
  
Then silence.

It was so quiet Leon thought he must have lost his hearing for a second, until Krauser whistled.

"Close one."

They stared at the mass of crumbled concrete behind them.  
  
"I sure hope the exit is on  _this_  side-" Leon groaned. "-Do you mind?"  
  
"What? Oh." Krauser was still holding on to Leon's wrist and he let go with a sheepish expression.  
  
Leon didn't know why it bothered him so, but being close to Krauser made something deep in him stir uncomfortably.

They allowed themselves a little break, leaning against the wall and sharing what was left of the canteen of water. Leon caught Krauser touching the scarred part of his face, a fleeting look of worry on his face before he realized Leon was watching him. His expression smoothed out, and he let his hand fall.  
  
"Decided what you're gonna do when we reach the surface?"  
  
Leon sighed, and pressed the back of his head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"I have no idea. My orders were clear, I just..." He didn't finish.  
  
Krauser had a strange look of intensity on his face, eyes narrowed as he stared at Leon.  
  
"So your orders were to kill me, huh?"   
  
"Not you specifically."   
  
Krauser left it at that, looking as though he was far away in thought.

 


	4. Chapter 4

_Fuck... I hope the exit really_ is _on this side._

Leon ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. The corridors, labs and store rooms seemed endless, and Krauser appeared to be out of energy.

He was almost shuffling along by this rate and when they hit what could only be a break room Leon decided it was time to go through his supplies again, allowing Krauser to sink down in one of the comfortable chairs. Krauser seemed thankful, leaning his head back and closing his eyes straight away with a content sigh.  
  
Leon studied him for a second before taking his backpack off to go through the content. The walkie-talkie was still dead silent, but he fiddled with it for a while out of habit before giving up.

They were quickly going through the water he had, so he decided to check the break room for any supplies. He looked at Krauser one last time before turning to the small adjacent kitchen.

It was weird being here. Like actual people had actually been working here. Meeting for gossip over the water cooler like any normal workplace. He had no idea how long it had been since someone were around though, so he skipped the water cooler and went for the sink instead. He let the water run for a little before filling a canteen and smelling it.   
It smelled alright, and although he knew that wouldn't really be an indication of anything, he filled up the rest of the empty canteens, making a mental note of finishing the ones he'd brought down here first.

Then he checked the cupboards and grabbed anything that was sealed and usable. His stomach rumbled when he found a large stack of crackers in one of the drawers, although he knew that wouldn't be enough to sustain them for long. There were two vending machines in a small hallway leading to another break room and he smashed the front of it without hesitation, grabbing food, snacks and beverages and stuffed them into his backpack. 

When he returned to Krauser, he realized he'd fallen asleep.  
  
Leon sank down in a chair opposite of him, and observed the quiet rise and fall of Krauser's chest. It was calming, in a strange way, and Leon found himself yearning for a warm bed, hell, even just a quick shut-eye right there in the armchair. He knew he couldn't. Not without locking Krauser up. In fact he doubted he'd be able to without locking himself up as well. He knew he wouldn't be able to get any sleep out here in the open, not with those strange Lickers around. 

And besides. He did have things to sort out.  
  
He'd stopped thinking about _if_  they were getting out. There were no alternatives, they  _were_  getting out of this place. Leon refused to die down here in the dark, and he knew Chris and the others were up there trying to find him. They wouldn't just give up and leave him down here. Not that he'd be able to know. He stared at the walkie-talkie again with a frown.

But that still left Krauser. Was it all an act or did he really not know what had happened in the last... What was it now? Twelve years? Leon got that old melancholic feeling when he thought about it.   
  
_Twelve years_...  
  
He looked over at Krauser again and realized Krauser had a hell of a lot more reason to feel melancholic about all those years passed than he did, but he couldn't help the heavy feeling in his chest.  
  
Leon sank further down into the chair and yawned, rubbing his hands over his eyes and face.

He wondered if they would take Krauser in by force. Try to cure him, like with Manuela. If they would help him in exchange for information. Or just study him. Because they would take him in, there was no question about it. They wouldn't just let him go.  
  
Krauser was a monster. One of Umbrellas  _creations_ , although, looking at Krauser now, face relaxed in sleep, it was hard to think of him that way. He knew Chris would be less inclined to think of Krauser as anything but though. The thought of what Chris might say to all of this made him sit up, suddenly restless and slightly annoyed, and he decided to portion out some of their supplies. Chris had been reluctant to let Ada go.   
  
Reluctant? Maybe unwilling would have been a better word. If Ada hadn't escaped herself, there were no telling what he'd do. He couldn't blame Chris though, not really. 

Leon had an habit of letting his emotions get the better of him, and he knew that. Even now.  
  
_Some things never change_ , he thought bitterly to himself, glancing over at Krauser again before turning his focus back on the silent walkie-talkie.  
  
"I can hear the gears in your head work all the way over here." Krauser broke the silence, but kept his eyes closed "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." Leon said, a little too quickly, and Krauser snorted before sitting up, stretching lazily as he did.  
  
Leon ignored it, instead pushing Krauser's share of vending machine snacks across the table.

"Let's just eat and move on." 

 

* * *

  
"I need to stop by here for a minute." Leon motioned towards the restrooms and they both entered the spacious area.  
  
Leon looked at the urinals, but opted for one of the stalls. He wasn't shy, but he didn't trust Krauser enough to keep his back to him. If Krauser did decide to stab him in the back, he'd rather not die face down in one of Umbrella's urinals.

When he came back out of the stall, Krauser was standing in front of the large mirrors, staring at himself with badly veiled horror on his marred, once handsome face. The light from his flashlight made deep shadows across his face, enhancing the scars and burns.

Leon stopped dead in his tracks, imagining for a second what it must feel like to look in the mirror and find yourself so dramatically altered.   
  
"I knew something was off, I mean, I could feel it, but I didn't imagine..." Krauser's voice trailed off.

Leon didn't know what to say to that, but it didn't seem like Krauser expected him to either, so he went over to the sink next to Krauser to wash his hands.  
  
Krauser pulled the shirt over his head to inspect the damaged skin underneath, and Leon found himself studying Krauser's scars more carefully as well. It did look pretty bad, he had to admit. The burns covered most of the left side of his face, leaving his left eye functioning by some miracle before extending down the left side of his neck, down his torso and covered his left arm completely.

A long, surgical scar down the length of his chest stood out from the others.

"How much time did I lose?" Krauser asked quietly.  
  
"Since South America? About twelve years" Leon dried off his hands as Krauser grimaced.  
  
"How long since you last saw me?"  
  
Leon paused.  
  
"Ten years."  
  
Krauser stared at himself intently in the mirror, brows furrowed as his eyes searched his own face.  
  
"I don't remember anything." He said, quietly. "The last thing I remember is..." Krauser paused and turned to look at Leon. "Are these burns or an effect of whatever Manuela and her mother had?"  
  
"Who said anything about Manuela?"  
  
Krauser snorted again.  
  
"I woke up like this in one of Umbrellas tanks after losing twelve years of my life. It's not hard to piece it together."

"Your wound..." Leon whispered, suddenly realizing where Krauser was going with all of it.

"Must have gotten infected from that God-damned spike." Krauser said flatly.

Leon leaned closer to inspect the damaged skin, forgetting to be cautious around the bigger man.

It was hard to tell if it was burned or mutated. He couldn't even find the scar after Hilda's spike, hidden among the mess that was Krauser's arm. The skin was blistered, yet some places it looked like it had split open to reveal something scaly and inhuman underneath.  
  
"I'm not sure." Leon admitted, and brushed a careful hand across one of the less agitated patches of skin. "The place blew up after we fought. I'm sorry to say I left you for dead"  
  
Krauser flinched, but Leon was unsure if it was his touch or his words that affected him.  
  
"It could be burns, however it looked pretty bad even before then." 

Krauser pulled his shirt back on with a smile that seemed more like another grimace. "You know, I've done some questionable things before." Krauser sounded bitter, and he sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, trying to slick it back. "Sure feels different when you can't remember a damn thing though."  
  
"Thinking life is unfair is a place you'll only find unrest." Leon said the words without really meaning to, putting a hand on Krauser's forearm. "A good friend of mine once said that."

Krauser didn't say anything straight away, his eyes trailed from his own reflection to Leon's hand, until he finally met Leon's eyes.  
  
"You're right. Your friend is right." Krauser's words were soft. No bitterness anymore, he just sounded tired, but despite the weariness in his tone he gave Leon a weak smile.

"He  _was_  right." Leon started, swallowing heavy a few times before continuing. "I had to neutralize him. Had to ki-" He paused. "He turned into one of Umbrella's monsters."  
  
Krauser's jaw tensed up. "Like me." His expression was pained.  
  
"No. Not like you. There was nothing left of Adam by the end." Leon cleared his throat. "Anyway. It helped me a lot, what he said. I hope it will give you some peace of mind as well."

Krauser didn't reply, his eyes narrow as he inspected his own face one last time.  
  
Then they exchanged glances before silently agreeing to move on.

 

* * *

  
They stayed quiet for a while after that. It wasn't uncomfortable, and Leon didn't mind.

He was too busy trying to imagine the layout of the place to really hold a conversation. It was enormous and seemed to stretch out forever. It reminded him of horror movies he'd seen where the characters were trapped in some kind of endless Limbo.

Would this be his Limbo? Krauser's?

Yet, despite the confusion, gore and claustrophobia, this didn't seem that bad. Not like any personal hell he'd ever imagine. Sad to say, he kind of enjoyed Krauser's company. During their mission together in South America he'd sort of assumed they would keep in touch, but that obviously fell apart.

Could this be hell for Krauser though?

They kept moving past store rooms with tanks. Some of them smashed open, others still containing dead creatures, some even containing live ones. Leon could tell Krauser hated looking at them. He'd been one of them after all. Maybe he still was.

Leon glanced over at him now, Krauser was walking next to him seemingly lost in thoughts. He seemed different from South America, less confident. Easier to get along with, and easier to get to know, which felt strange. He hadn't been  _unfriendly_  back then, but definitely a hard person to get close to. Not that he was really falling over himself to get close to Leon as it was, but there was something different with the way he spoke and acted. 

Their knuckles grazed together just then, and Krauser seemed to be knocked out of whatever thoughts he was lost in, glancing over at Leon with a strange look on his face.

Leon didn't have the chance to say anything, because he heard the unmistakable sound of _chewing_ in front of them, though his flashlight hadn't yet penetrated the darkness enough to really see what. It didn't seem like Krauser realized, because he started saying something, and Leon grabbed his forearm and shook his head to quiet him. Krauser clamped his mouth shut, nodding to show he understood.

They crept forward in the darkness and their flashlights soon illuminated another Licker, which was crouched over some unidentifiable creature on the floor, surrounded by at least another four-five dead Lickers.

The Licker leaned over the creature, gaping its mouth over its neck and grabbed a hold of it with strong jaws. It started shaking its head violently back and forth like a dog, chucks of flesh flying as it tore pieces off. The viciousness of its attack so strong that it lost its balance, and in the fall it seemed to notice their presence. 

It backed up a few steps, almost increasing in size as it got ready to attack, tongue lapping the air.

That's when the creature on the ground suddenly grabbed it, opening its mouth wide as it went for the Licker's face. The surprise caught them off guard, and they both stumbled backwards, their lights losing its target for a second.

It was already over when they regained focus, the Licker dead on the ground with the others, and the creature responsible on it's feet.

It moved like the others, this unnatural and disturbing joint-less way of moving that made Leon think of marionettes. This one wasn't like the Lickers though, it reminded Leon of the Regenerators from Spain, its body grayish and rotted, each step on the linoleum like wet slaps.  
  
It wasn't as intimidating, at least not in the same way, though he knew he should think it was considering it took down what seemed like a whole pack of Lickers.

It didn't breathe in the same way the Regenerators did, it was almost completely silent. And slow. Almost like it was struggling to keep itself upright.

Leon raised his gun, getting ready to fire when it lunged for Krauser. It was surprisingly fast and limber, almost as if it wanted to prove Leon wrong.

It was stronger than it looked too, knocking the air out of Krauser as it rammed him into the wall. Leon aimed for its head, but it was like it knew,  _it knew_ , because it kept moving its body like a snake. Body molded to Krauser's so Leon couldn't fire a single shot without risking shooting Krauser as well. 

It pressed its long fingers into Krauser's upper arms as it opened its mouth impossibly wide, aimed for Krauser's neck. Krauser tried to grab on to its head, tried to pry it away from his neck, but the thing was stronger and it seemed as though his fingers couldn't find a grip on it.  
  
"Krauser!" Leon grabbed on to the thing's body, shuddering when his fingers met no resistance as they dug into soft, gelatinous flesh.

They pushed it against the wall as Krauser sunk his knife into it, a look of disgusted surprise on his face as the knife slid through it with a wet gloppy sound, skidding across the smooth wall behind it.  
  
"What the hell..." Krauser stabbed it again.  
  
It seemed undisturbed by their attacks, mouth still open, gargling as it lunged at them.  
  
Leon reached for his shotgun, though he wish he didn't have to. He didn't like firing weapons down here. The shots seemed impossibly loud in the encompassing silence, and he imagined attracting every single monster to their location. He knew he didn't have a choice now though, he fired into it's mouth, aimed upwards.  
   
The blast emptied out the inside of its head like a jack-o-lantern, its empty eye sockets seemed to stare at him for a second before the head collapsed upon itself like a time-lapsed video of rotting fruit.  
  
Leon stared at it with disgust, halfway expecting it to mold itself back together for another attack. It didn't, instead pooling on the floor, like the only thing that had kept it together was sheer will.

"Give me a warning next time, huh?" Krauser wiped the grayish spray off his face with his shirt, face distorted in disgust. "What the hell was that thing?"  
  
"Another one of Umbrellas jolly little pirates, if I had to guess." Leon reloaded the shotgun.  
  
Krauser seemed shaken, wiping his hands on his sweatpants with a grimace. "I thought I saw the worst of it in South America, but shit."   
  
"Tell me about it." Leon hoisted the shotgun back over his shoulder and sighed. "At least this one doesn't travel in packs like the Lickers seem to do."  
  
They both imagined a pack of gelatinous marionettes and shuddered in unison, grinning at each other when they realized.

 

* * *

  
Krauser was definitely off his game.

He was energetic enough when he had to be, he was as efficient as ever when they faced the various creatures in the dark, but his energy came in bursts. When they were lucky enough to catch a break, he seemed to deflate a little. He was too proud to ask Leon for breaks, so Leon would order them to with regular intervals. He knew Krauser was aware of what he was doing, but they both stayed quiet about it.

It was like a little game.

Luckily for them, the facility came with plenty of rest areas, even bigger rooms with bunk beds.  
   
They had stopped resting in the hallways, the encounter with the sludge-monster had put a stop to that. It wasn't very professional, but they found themselves making names for the things they encountered.  
  
Sludge-monster, party-gang, disco-pirate.  
  
Childish fun to take the edge off the situation.  
  
It was nothing like South America, but in other ways it was like they were still there. They had been professionals there. Kind of. The absurdity of their situation now made them ease up a little.

They were in one of the bedrooms now, munching on dry crackers and soda as they chatted, both of them stretched out on beds across from each other.  
  
It was risky, Leon knew that. Right on the edge of what was alright, but his back ached and Krauser seemed like... Well, almost like a better version of who he'd been in South America.  
  
If it was another trick then he'd waited a long time to stab him in the back.

"Do you ever get the feeling we never really left South America?" Krauser's voice was low, eyes fixated on Leon's face.

Leon didn't have to think about it, but he kept still for a second anyway. Of course he'd felt like that. Part of him never left Raccoon City, and yes, there was also a part of him that was still in South America. And parts of him were still in Spain...

"Yes." He finally admitted. "I guess it's more understandable in your situation though. What is the last thing you remember from South America?"

Leon turned to look at Krauser, leaning his head on his upper arm.

"It's kind of hazy." Krauser said slowly, frowning a little as he tried to remember. "We were going after Javier... After that room. The one with the missing girls. Then Manuela's...  _Mother_."  
  
"So you don't remember fighting him? Or the helicopter ride home?"  
  
"No." He said quietly.

"I thought you died, you know." Leon stared at the ceiling. "There was a helicopter crash. I guess you staged it."  
  
Krauser made a sound, but Leon didn't turn to look at him.

"And then Spain."  
  
"And then Spain." Krauser echoed, sounding tired and bitter again.  
  
Leon wondered why they always ended up talking about the bad things that had happened, even when their conversations started out light. He supposed it couldn't be helped, not with the amount of history between them. He knew he'd promised to answer Krauser's questions though, so he did.

Filling Krauser in on the blanks were hard. Tough. Especially when all he wanted was a shower and a shave. A good nights sleep. 

How do you tell someone they joined someone like Wesker? That they tried to kill, and probably killed people without even remembering? By the end Krauser seemed almost numb, just nodding or shaking his head at the appropriate time.

"Do you know why you would... Choose Wesker?" Leon weighed his words carefully.

Krauser smiled, still humourless, it didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't feel any sort of resentment towards you." 

Leon turned to him with surprise, even though it shouldn't come as a surprise to him. Virus or not, Krauser had tried to kill him.

"Towards my government. I bled for them, yet they didn't-" He didn't finish. "-But going from that to being a traitor." He shook his head. "I'm not a traitor. I'm not that person. What ugly parts I had in me were mine alone."

He coughed and paused for a minute, almost like he was ashamed of what he just said.

"Why did you feel resentment towards me?"

"I think I was a little jealous." Krauser rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward chuckle. "All your special treatment and special assignments, despite being what? Eighteen?"  
  
Leon snorted and was about to say something when Krauser's chuckle died out, quickly replaced by a somber expression.

"How do you know I'm not still infected?"  
  
"I don't." Leon studied Krauser's face. "It doesn't make sense to leave you in a tank if you weren't, but you don't exactly exude mutant powers right now either."

Krauser stared at his own hands, giving a sardonic snort.

"Do you-" He lifted his head to stare at Leon, narrowing his eyes. "Are there any cures?"  
  
Leon creased his forehead.

"I have no idea what you would be infected with-" He started, weighing his words carefully as he tried to ignore the look of disappointment on Krauser's face. "-When I was infected with the Las Plagas parasite I was told it was operable in it's early stages." Leon cleared his throat. "I have no idea what you were or are infected with, but judging by the scar on your chest someone at least tried to cut  _something_ out of you."

Krauser's hand shot up to his chest, but he let it fall straight away as if he was ashamed of showing any kind of vulnerability in front of Leon.

"Why did you save me?"

Leon frowned. It was something he'd spend a lot of time wondering himself, and he couldn't find the words to explain it.

"I... I'm not sure." He said, slowly. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't too far off, and he pretended not to see the look on Krauser's face. "I guess it felt wrong leaving you to drown in a tank down here." 

That was good. Neutral. Not connected to any of Leon's confusing feelings, but at the same time completely true.

"Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better." Krauser said, and Leon looked over at him with surprise. "I hate thinking about losing control. Losing more time." Krauser laid down. "Feels like a fate worse than death."

They stayed quiet after that. Nothing left to say.

The lack of sleep before the mission was taking it's toll on Leon though, and he wondered if it would be okay to sleep for just a little while with Krauser in the same room.  
He yawned.  
  
Better not risk it.   
  
Right?  
  
_Right._  
  
Leon dozed off.

 


	5. Chapter 5

When he woke up the room was empty. 

The first thing that resonated was panic, adrenaline causing a sickening tightness in Leon's chest as his heart beat wildly. He tried to convince himself it was the fact that Krauser wasn't there when he should be, Krauser shouldn't be running free out there, but he knew deep down his heart was beating wildly with disappointment.

It was irrational, and he knew it, but suddenly the walls felt like they were closing in on him. It was harder to breathe, as if the air had gotten thicker. He re-adjusted the flashlight, finding some comfort in shining it on his own hand. 

_It's okay,_  he told himself. _It's okay. Just get on your feet. Nothing has changed._

But they had and he knew it. His feelings of disappointment and betrayal made those confusing thoughts he'd pushed to the back of his head far harder to ignore, and he got up, swinging his legs on the floor. 

How long was he out for? The sleep he had was dreamless, heavy, the kind where you can't tell how much time has really passed. An hour? Eight hours? Ten minutes?

Leon rested his head in his hands, his chest still felt tight, but his breathing had calmed down a little.

_I need to go look for him. There's no way he'd just leave me like this._

Leon groaned and kicked himself mentally. Not just for the fear of being left behind, but for falling asleep at all. 

He went over to the bed Krauser had been on, feeling the sheets for any body heat that would give an indication on how long he'd been gone, but they were cold. Like he hadn't been there at all. The thought almost made Leon laugh. That would have been a nice twist. Maybe this was his Limbo after all, haunted by the people in his past. The people he had to kill. The...  _Things_  he had to kill. He swallowed hard, trying not to dwell on that thought too long.

Of course Krauser was here. Of course he was still out there.

_There's no way I'm down here by myself._ He shook his head at his own stupidity.  
  
_But what if he did leave me down here?_ That treacherous voice still whispered. _What if he hasn't changed at all?_

That thought made his blood run cold, and he cast a look at the door.

He didn't know Krauser anymore. Didn't know if he was the loyal soldier or the crazed mercenary. 

_Maybe he made a run for it. Maybe it was an act all along._

These thoughts were harder to ignore. 

Leon removed the gun from the holster, getting ready to go after him when an unexpected sound broke the silence, the sound of a door opening, and for a few sickening seconds he pictured the sludge monsters pouring in.

"You alright?" Leon turned to see Krauser standing in the door, arms full of supplies. "You were out cold so I decided to get a feel for the area and get some supplies."

For a split second Leon didn't know how to react. 

Part of him wanted to be angry, yell at him for just leaving. Another part was worried about the fact that Krauser went out there with nothing but a knife. Another part, he realized, was happy to see him.

"Where were you?" Leon stood up, the hand holding the gun shaking slightly.

"I just told you. I went to get supplies." Krauser studied Leon's face. "Hey, you okay?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Leon hissed. "Was it really a good idea to leave me here while you risk your life out there?"

Krauser's eyes turned to narrow slits then, standing with as much dignity as he could while wearing that ridiculous outfit, arms full of crackers and peanuts.

"I don't need you babysitting me. I went out to get supplies. End of story."

There was a strange new tone in Krauser's voice that made Leon's anger diminish. Krauser was probably just back in South America where getting supplies would be met with gratitude, not anger, so he breathed out, feeling some of the stress leave his body.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I woke up and-"

"It's fine." Krauser didn't look at him as he emptied all the supplies on the bed, sinking down next to it with a sigh. "It was a bad idea. I'm not doing too well and I shouldn't-"

"No, it's fine." Leon ran a hand through his hair, using his fingers to comb through the knots at the back of his head.

"I keep forgetting we're not down here as partners." Krauser's mouth twitched a little.

"We are in a way." Leon offered, even though he knew it wasn't true. Krauser knew it too, but he gave Leon a crooked little smile. 

"Anything new out there?" Leon just wanted to change the subject. 

"I did stumble across a pack of Lickers."

"You mean the party-gang?" Leon smiled a little, relieved when Krauser smiled back, like things were alright again.

"I just shut the door on that party." He chuckled. "Other than that it was pretty uneventful."

"How long was I out for?" Leon stretched.

"A couple of hours. Figured you needed it." Krauser shrugged and picked absent-mindedly on the pack of peanuts closest to his thigh. "I didn't wanna tell you, but you were looking a little rough around the edges there." 

Krauser's face showed no emotion, but the tone in his voice was light and teasing.

"Oh yeah? I'd take offense to that if it came from anyone else."

It was the wrong thing to say, and he realized as soon as the words escaped his lips. Krauser seemed to go through a full range of emotions before he settled on a smirk.

"I guess that would be the pot calling the kettle black, huh?"

"Sorry." Leon fell silent. "So- Uh- I guess it's time to get going."

Krauser stood up, but groaned as soon as he did, all the blood draining from his face as he slumped back down.

"You alright?" Leon stepped up closer, kneeling down in front of him.

Krauser had his eyes closed, one hand pressed against his forehead.

"Yeah. I just got up too fast. It's nothing."

"You're looking a bit pale." Leon rested his hands on Krauser's thighs as he inspected him, and he could feel Krauser tense up a bit under his touch.

"I'm fine." Krauser repeated, trying to brush him off, but Leon kept staring at him.  
  
Maybe it was nothing, but Leon couldn't shake the fear of him still being infected.

They both fell silent, Leon's hands still on Krauser's thighs and the situation suddenly felt loaded. Dangerous. Not at all the friendly banter or even the less-than-friendly bickering they'd so quickly fallen back into the routine of doing.  
  
Krauser didn't say anything for a while, instead he seemed very interested in his own hands which were folded in his lap. It amused Leon to see a faint shade of pink creep up Krauser's neck.  
  
_Is he... Blushing?_  
  
It was hard to say, there was just the faintest reddening of his cheeks before it was gone again.

Leon could see Krauser swallowing, his jaw setting as if he made a decision before raising his chin to look at him again. There was an unexpected look on Krauser's face when their eyes met, his deep set eyes dark and his lips slightly parted.  
  
_Well, shit._  
  
Leon hadn't really reflected over his feelings for Krauser. There was an attraction, sure, but after Spain... He stared into Krauser's eyes. Saying it was purely an attraction felt wrong. There were more to it than that, more than...

"I can barely recognize the fresh-faced little boy scout I met in South America." Krauser's voice was soft as he interrupted Leon's confused thoughts.

"You used to be such a pretty-boy and now you even got scars to rough you up a little." Krauser reached for Leon's face and let his thumb slide gently along the small scar on his cheek. "How'd this one happen?"

"Actually..." Leon cleared his throat, unsure how to proceed, although Krauser seemed to know what was coming, his hand left Leon's cheek before he could finish. 

"I got that one in Spain." He left it at that.

It looked like Krauser wanted to say something, he opened his mouth slightly, but closed it again without a word.

"It doesn't matter." Leon moved slowly, raising his hands so he could rest them on Krauser's face, halfway expecting Krauser to stop him. Krauser didn't bat his hands away like he'd half-way expected, and his heart did a strange little flutter. He hadn't planned it further than this, and it felt like he had just crossed a line that he couldn't turn back from.

Krauser looked at him with interest as Leon leaned closer, but he remained still, even when Leon carefully and trying pressed his lips against his.

Whatever Leon had imagined, it wasn't this.

He'd had some half-assed idea that just giving in and kissing his friend, his adversary, his... Whatever Krauser was to him, would end that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, but instead it seemed to just fuel whatever it was.  

Krauser hesitated for a second before wrapping his arms around Leon and carefully reciprocating the kiss. 

Leon felt something flare up in him, a new and strange kind of hunger as he pressed himself breathlessly against the other man, Krauser's skin burning under his fingers.  Krauser looked surprised when they pulled apart, but he still gave him one of his crooked, amused smiles.

"Sorry, I don't know why I did that." Leon whispered, but he knew Krauser could see right through him, his eyes mild as he inspected Leon's face.

"You don't, huh?" He said, sounding like he was trying not to laugh. 

Krauser instigated the next kiss, enclosing Leon in his arms as their lips found each other again.

 

* * *

 

 

It felt strange leaving the room. Strange getting back out into the endless Umbrella hallways, back to reality, so to speak, although it had felt more real back there.

Leon knew it had been irresponsible of him to spent so much time in that room, more time that was strictly appropriate in their situation, but heck, who were to say what was appropriate in a situation like this anyway.

They didn't say anything as they walked down the hall, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. What had gotten over him? Leon couldn't answer it, couldn't answer why he'd kissed the other man. Krauser glanced over at him just then, smiling as their eyes met and Leon had to admit he  _did_  know.

Still though, there was no escaping the fact that the air down here was getting more stagnant by the minute. They had been able to refill about half of the canteens they had consumed, but at the end the faucet had sputtered and died out. Leon wasn't too concerned. Not yet. They still had some food and even sodas if it came to that.

He had the same kind of feeling as after a few drinks. His mind wasn't clouded, not directly, but a nice comfortable heat had settled in his mind and stomach and he found himself strangely mellow, despite the circumstances. 

"I can't wait to get out of this place." Krauser whispered longingly. 

Leon didn't answer, unsure how to respond. 

They had talked some about what could happen beyond the boundaries of these walls, and although Leon couldn't deny the fact that there was _something_  between them, it didn't change the fact that Leon had duties and responsibilities he needed to abide by. 

Krauser had been a threat. And maybe he still was. Leon couldn't trust that he wouldn't be again. That he wasn't still infected.

Leon wasn't sure how the virus worked. He'd seen the monsters down here attack Krauser as much as they attacked him and if it hadn't been for the soggy sludge monster and the Lickers he'd guess that meant he wasn't infected. Maybe it was dormant, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Would Krauser even be aware of it?

".... Leon?"   
  
Leon hadn't been aware that Krauser was asking him a question.

Krauser looked at him as if he waited for a reply, but Leon didn't have the chance to say anything, because when they turned the corner they both stopped dead in their tracks.

The ceiling had crumbled down in front of them, completely blocking their way and they both stared at the mass in front of them, silent.

"Seems like this is the only way we haven't tried already." Leon didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 

Getting out of this mess proved to be a whole lot more difficult than he ever imagined. 

Krauser sighed and put his hands on the concrete, pulling it out and tossing it to the side before grabbing another chunk of crumbling wall without hesitation.

"Better-get-to-it." he said between grunts of exertion.

 

* * *

 

They worked in silence. 

Trying to gauge how far the cave-in went was impossible, and Leon started getting a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. Right now it felt like they were never gonna escape this place. Walk endlessly or finally run out of both air and water.... Maybe this really was some sort of Limbo. Caught between endless desperation and hopeful enthusiasm. 

Leon wiped the sweat off his forehead with a sigh. How long had they been at it? He couldn't tell. It felt like hours.

Krauser had taken his shirt off as they worked, a slight sheen of sweat on his muscular torso as he tossed bits of concrete behind him. Leon tried not to let Krauser's body distract him as he worked, tossing rubble into the steadily growing pile behind them. Even though Krauser had wandered around naked just a few hours ago, it felt different seeing skin now. It made a strange feeling of longing burn deep in him. Krauser's face was hard as he worked, unreadable, probably trying not to think about the alternative.

It was probably just Leon's imagination, but the air was starting to feel heavy, each breath needing more effort than the last.

"Are we getting anywhere?" Leon ruffled through his backpack for one of the remaining canteens of water which he offered to Krauser.

Krauser wiped his forehead with his free hand as he stared at the mess in front of them.

"Hard to say." He took a few gulps of water before handing it back. "Only one way to find out, I guess."

He flashed a grin before going back to work and Leon had to resist the urge not to kiss him again.

It felt ridiculous, switching between feelings of dread and feelings of longing, and he sipped the water thoughtfully as he studied Krauser. He knew this was all temporary.   
It had to be, right? He had his orders. He couldn't just let Krauser leave once they reached the surface.  
  
Thinking otherwise were just childish dreams. 

There were hard decisions ahead, difficult choices, but he couldn't bear to think of it right now, catching glimpses of Krauser's face whenever he turned to toss more concrete in the ever growing pile. The harshness of his face familiar now, each frown holding a different meaning than they would have before. 

Leon opened his mouth to say something, anything, when Krauser called his name. He was picking up pace, digging his hands into the concrete as if it was soft soil.

"Leon! There's air coming through here!"

Leon forgot the water, forgot the desperation, forgot every decision he had to make, instead falling to his knees next to Krauser and feeling the tell-tale rush of air. There was a strange odour coming through the cracks, an almost salty and earthy kind of smell. It felt familiar, but he couldn't tell from where. Not that it mattered, it felt like the freshest air Leon had ever felt, and he turned his head to Krauser to tell him.

Krauser was already staring at him when Leon turned towards him, a faint smile turning the corner of his lips up. He must have waited for that moment, because as soon as Leon turned he leaned forward, brushing his lips against Leon's.

At first he was gentle, but as Leon put a hand around Krauser's neck to pull him closer, Krauser got bolder as he deepened the kiss. Leon felt the soft whisper of his name more than he heard it, Krauser's hands dipping down lower as they kissed, his hands resting at the small of Leon's back.

Krauser's eyes were closed with pleasure, but Leon couldn't help looking at the other man's face under half-lidded eyes, burying his hands in the bigger man's hair. Krauser's breath was hot against his lips, something between a moan and a sigh escaping his scarred lips. Leon let his hands slide down from Krauser's hair and onto his face, his heart pounding with longing.

"We really should get out of here." He whispered against Krauser's lips, pretending to ignore Krauser as he dug his hands into the fabric of Leon's shirt, trying to hold on as Leon pulled away. "We really need to get going." Leon almost had to catch his breath as he tried to hide his flushed cheeks. Krauser's eyes were darker again, but he still gave a short nod.

"You're right." He sighed, his voice still deep and husky, but he reached for the concrete nevertheless.

It was better than a meal, better than a nap, better than a shower. Leon felt a rush of energy as they clawed their way through the concrete, their fingers bleeding when they finally broke through to the other side.


	6. Chapter 6

They fell silent as they broke through, both staring in awe at what used to be a hallway. Krauser pulled the shirt back over his head, but didn't say a word, eyes fixed at the scenery in front of them.

It looked like the whole thing had caved in, not just the hallway, but all the rooms on each side and the floors above them, like a giant sinkhole had collapsed and it suddenly dawned on Leon why the water faucets had stopped working. They could see exposed water pipes, broken in half, water trickling into the cave-in, making a perfect round pool. The size of it surprised Leon, this whole underground facility was enormous, but he still had trouble comprehending how something like this could fit down here.

What they had left behind seemed like a different world now, the sterile walls replaced by lush greenery, ivy clinging to every surface. Even grass. The air here was heavy, and Leon realized why the smell had seemed so familiar. Humid, earthy and thick with life. Like the rain forest in South America.

The plants here were nothing like in South America though, the ferns drooping under their own weight, each plant a little bit off, a little bit too big, a little bit warped. Like someone with only a vague knowledge of tropical plants had set out to draw them.

What really made his hair stand on end was the faint glow from the water, as if there was something right under the surface.  
  
He glanced over at Krauser who stared out into the room with uncertainty, his forehead creased and his jaw tense.

"I thought you said we left South America?" 

Leon nodded, but realized Krauser wasn't looking at him.

"Yeah, we did..." His voice trailed off.   
  
Krauser took a few steps out into the tall grass, but didn't say anything else.  
  
The tingle was back in the back of Leon's head, and he tried not to touch anything as he followed Krauser. 

This place was just... Off.   
  
_Wrong._  
  
He watched each step as they started walking around the pool. The water wasn't clear like he'd expect from tap-water, but a dark shade of greenish blue. He couldn't tell how deep it was, or what gave off the glow. There was something almost hypnotic about it though, and he found himself taking a step forward to it to get a peek down into it, trying to find the source of the light. 

Krauser grabbed his arm before he could get closer, his eyebrows knotted together as he searched Leon's face. 

"You okay?" He sounded like a soldier again, his voice hard and gruff, but his eyes were worried.

"Yeah, I just..." Leon shook his head as he pried his eyes off the shimmering surface of the water, suddenly realizing that he was leaning over it. Way closer to the surface than he was comfortable with. He got a sinking feeling in his stomach, like he was being lured to the water, and he didn't take his eyes off it as he followed Krauser along the edge of the pool.

There was just a small band of grass separating the jungle from the water, and Krauser stayed on it. Krauser's logic was no doubt that it was easier to walk there, and at the same time it gave some distance to the thick jungle around them, though, looking at the water, Leon wondered if they shouldn't go further into the jungle to get away from _it_  instead.

There were no sounds in there either, which intensified the feeling of something being wrong. 

In South America they had heard birds, the rustling of leaves, animals in the underbrush. It was dead silent down here, unnaturally so, like every footstep got swallowed up by the ground below them.   
  
Krauser must have felt the same way, because he was on guard just like Leon.  
  
"Is this Javier's doing?" He muttered, shying away from something that looked like a giant Venus fly-trap.   
  
"I told you, Javier is dead." Leon tried not to sound annoyed, but he must have failed because Krauser looked back at him.

"Then what's going on?"

"I don't know, and I don't plan on sticking around to find out." He got out his backpack, and looked through his supply of explosives. Whatever this room was, he planned on making sure it was all gone by the time they came up to the surface. 

Krauser didn't speak as Leon fastened the explosives to something that looked like a willow. At least a tropical version of a willow, its long tendrils brushing uncomfortably against him as they ducked back out.

Krauser still looked angry, but he kept his mouth shut, his eyes barely leaving Leon.

Leon still had a strange feeling the world was holding it's breath. He realized  _the world_  was a much too big a word for it. It was this room, this pool of water, this... Jungle. Something was definitely not right here.

Whatever had been going on behind them was nothing compared to what loomed in front of them. 

It hadn't been that long since people were here, he knew that much, at least if the dead slumped in their seats upstairs were any indication. Yet this place seemed like it had skipped a view steps on the evolutionary ladder.

The jungle almost seemed to grow around them, every time he turned around he thought the grass looked taller, the plants bigger. Sweat forming on his forehead as he turned a few times to find the plants leaning towards him. If they had been anywhere else he'd say it was his imagination, but down here... Down here anything was possible.

He stared at Krauser's broad shoulders as he pushed some thick bushes aside. The light from the pool seemed to be getting brighter, a column of light ascending from it, the surface of the pool shivering slightly.

"Uh, Krauser...? I think we better get away from the water."  
  
Krauser turned to look at Leon, his eyes trailing off to the water. The light reflected off his eyes, almost twisting his features as he nodded slowly.

"Not much of a choice anyway." He said, tipping his head towards the end of the pool. He was right, they had no choice but to stray from the open strip of land. "What do you think?" He continued, almost inaudibly, switching between staring at the water and the mass of jungle in front of them.

"Not much of a choice." Leon repeated, getting the handgun out of the holster. "Here." 

Krauser glanced quickly at Leon as he took it.

"Thanks."

They started walking into the thick jungle, both keeping their guns at the ready. Leon looked over his shoulder before the jungle closed behind him, for one last, lingering glimpse of the glittering pool of water.

As they moved away from the water, the world darkened around them, the leaves creating a claustrophobic tunnel for them to push through, leaves pressing into their skin as they walked. Leon felt like they were choking him, sticky heat clinging to his skin every time they swiped against him, but he found some comfort in Krauser's almost inaudible breathing behind him.

He got this strange feeling walking through the bushes though, like the plants deliberately clung to him. Sticky leaves sliding along his cheek like wet tongues. He hated touching them. Hated feeling them touch him. His hands were starting to feel filthy from the stickiness, and he longed for a shower.

_Tomorrow_ , he fantasized.  _Tomorrow this will be over. It will be nothing but a memory._

It wasn't a real comfort, hell, he didn't even know if they'd be out of here by then, but it kept him going.  
  
Krauser seemed lost in his own thoughts again, and Leon kept thinking about how things must be for him. How much more disorienting the jungle must seem after losing so many years. Or maybe he just felt like he continued where he'd left off.

Other thoughts kept trying to seep in as well, thoughts about Krauser's warm breath on his skin, Krauser's lips on his. They quickly dissipated every time a fern rubbed itself against every part of his body not covered by fabric.

"Mind if we stop for a second?" Krauser looked apologetic when Leon turned, as if Leon looked as discouraged as he felt. Krauser looked pale again, his breathing harsher as he coughed.

Leon got the backpack out and handed him one of the last canteens of water, which Krauser accepted.

"Take your time." Leon whispered, to which Krauser gave a soft snicker. Leon's dislike of the jungle must have been more apparent than he thought.

Leon fought a smile, swiping the light from the flashlight over the plants around them. It wasn't much use, it just created more shadows, but he kept it there, staring as Krauser drank from the canteen.

He moved the light slowly, trying to make out shapes in the darkness, when he froze. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, eyes still glued at the bushes in front of him, ice cold panic pooling in his stomach. His scalp suddenly felt like it was a few sizes too small for his head. 

Yet, he didn't know  _what_  he was looking at. His brain tried desperately to decipher what his eyes were focused on, but it came back empty.

He didn't look away in fear of it disappearing, trying wildly to find some sort of explanation. It was a different feeling than with the monsters out in the tanks and in the hallways, he could almost feel a calculating stare looking back at him.

Intelligence this time, not just fast limbs and sharp teeth.

"Krauser." He whispered, his fingers tightening around the shotgun. "What do you see over there?"  
  
As Krauser turned there was a shift in the darkness, and leaves moved as something stepped out of the light from Leon's flashlight.

"Leaves. Ferns. More leaves." Krauser said dryly, hands lingering on Leon's shoulder before he put the canteen back into Leon's backpack. "Why?"  
  
Leon shook his head. "I thought I saw..."

"Tell me about it." Krauser's voice was pitched low and quiet, his eyes narrow slits as he stared into the darkness. "The half-darkness keeps playing tricks on me." He shook his head and his expression changed. "C'mon." He finally said, wrapping his hand around Leon's arm for a squeeze before he started walking. "I really want to get out of here."  
  
Leon didn't say anything, just followed him wordlessly.  


* * *

  
He started losing track of time. 

The strange, ghostly light from the water still illuminated the room more than the hallways they had left behind, but unnaturally so. The light added strange shadows, making Leon misjudge depth and almost falling to his knees more times than he cared to count. Sweat pearling on his forehead when he realized that might be exactly what the jungle was after. In front of him Krauser did the same, inaudible swearing not quite breaking through the silence of the room. 

He kept seeing things. Sometimes he felt eyes on him, like before. Other times he swore he could see small twinkles of light in the darkness around them. He didn't stray from the straight line he was walking on, ignoring the lights and the feeling of being observed.

The strange, muted quiet in the room added to his feeling of being trapped in a Limbo again. Added to the feeling of being lost in time somehow. Their voices not quite penetrating the overwhelming stillness of the room. So when he started hearing a quiet sound somewhere in front of him, he thought it was all in his head. His ears making up sounds to fill the blank spaces, to somehow counteract the paranoia he felt. 

But as they moved closer it got louder, and his heartbeat quickened.

"You hear that?" Krauser turned to look at him, and Leon nodded.

It sounded like a low-pitched electrical hum, and Leon felt a faint spark of hope in his chest even though he tried not to. Maybe they had found an exit. Maybe this place had an exit after all. 

And it made sense. He'd been so preoccupied with the feeling of being observed that he hadn't realized it had gotten brighter again, not the disorienting half-darkness they had stumbled around in.  
  
Krauser moved faster, pushing the greenery aside.

"You gotta be kidding me." He suddenly breathed, stopping so abruptly that Leon walked into him.

Leon stepped beside him, and felt his heart sinking.

"No way-" Leon felt a sickly coldness seep through his chest as he stared at the water in front of them. The surface brighter now, glittering and shuddering in tune with the humming. "-No fucking way."

"Did we find another one...?" Krauser said in a cracked whisper, but Leon just shook his head.

"No, look. There's the opening we came through."  
  
Krauser followed the direction of Leon's finger and cursed when he saw the rubble around the hole they came in through. It looked more overgrown now, but there was no doubt about it. They had walked in a circle.

"It's the water." Leon whispered. "It's that fucking water."  
  
Krauser stared at him in confusion for a second before his eyes moved to the pool in front of them.   
  
"You think the water is alive?" He looked back at Leon with a stony expression on his face, but Leon could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"Not necessarily the water, but yeah, I bet my ass there's something under the surface, trying to lure us to it."  
  
The corner of Krauser's mouth tugged up in a faint smile at Leon's comment, but he covered it by chewing on his lower lip.

"Your ass, huh?" He mumbled. "I guess we ought to take a look then, won't we?"  
  
And before Leon could stop him, his fingers grasping empty air instead of Krauser's shirt, Krauser started moving towards the water.

The sound was louder now, pulsing in beat with the light emitted from the strange pool.

Leon took a few steps out of the jungle, watching Krauser walk towards the water. He still remembered the strange feeling he got as he stared into it, so he tried to keep his eyes off the surface of the water, staring stiffly at Krauser instead. Still, he could feel a slight tug in his chest being close to it, like it was trying to attract him again.

If it had the same effect on Krauser, he didn't show it, he seemed secure enough as he circled the edge of the pool. Leon followed him tentatively, and as he closed in on it, he felt the pulsating hum more than he heard it. Krauser took another step towards the edge and stared at the surface of the water with a frown.

"You feel it too, don't you?"  
  
Krauser turned to him, his eyes glittering from the light, a strange expression on his face.

"I do." He mumbled. "I can't see where the light comes from. Maybe we should get closer."  
  
Leon grabbed Krauser's wrist as he started turning towards the water, Krauser's words sending chills down his spine.

"Don't. I'm telling you there's something wrong here."

Krauser didn't reply, just kept struggling weakly against Leon's hand, his eyes fixed on the light.

"You wanted to get out of here, right?" His voice was eerily quiet, almost dreamily. "We should get out of here, Leon."

Leon yanked on Krauser's arm, pulling him back a step. Krauser seemed to snap out of it, his eyes left the water and fixed on Leon's face.

"Krauser-" Leon still held on to his arm. "-You okay?"

"Yeah." Krauser seemed dazed as he shook his head. "What do you want to do?"  
  
Leon glanced sideways at the water, before staring back into the jungle. "Guess we should take our chances back in there." He said slowly. "Anything is better than here."

Leon turned to the jungle, not aware he was still holding on to Krauser's wrist until it yanked out of his grip. When he turned he heard pained grunts from Krauser as something constricted his air supply. For a second all he could do was stare at Krauser who fought against the restraints around his chest and waist, his face contorted in pain.

"Leon...!" He half-shouted, half-groaned, before the creature pulled him under the shimmering surface.


	7. Chapter 7

Two things happened simultaneously as Krauser got pulled under; The shuddering hum died down and the surface of the water darkened and went black as tar.

It reminded Leon in some way of the blaring alarm in the storeroom and how the emergency lights had died down. It added to the claustrophobic feeling of going in circles. The sudden silence was somehow tremendously loud.

All of Leon’s instincts told him this was all wrong. The water didn’t act right somehow. Not that he really had time to think too much about it, he found himself shouting Krauser's name as he ran for the dark pool.

He didn't think anymore, didn't have time to think things through or pay attention to his fears as he dove into the water. It wasn't cold, like he'd expected it to be, but lukewarm. Lukewarm and thick and he shuddered as he tried to keep himself from getting any of it in his mouth and nose, while the water seemed intent on doing just that. Maybe this water really was some sort of entity.

It was pitch black down there, and he swam in place for a second, disoriented. He could feel slight movement in the water, like something big was swimming around him, but every time he turned he felt it shift to somewhere behind him. Like whatever circled him was also toying with him.

He couldn't see Krauser, and he started swimming around in vain effort to find him. It was hard to keep his bearings down here, like he was somehow drifting around in space. He swam up for air, gulping in the oxygen-rich air before ducking back down.

On his way down he brushed up against something in the oily darkness, something both rubbery and sinewy, he could feel force under his fingers. Then something in the darkness started blinking, like overhead lighting waking to life, and he found himself staring into a face.

Except it wasn't.

There were no eyes, just big gaping holes where eyes should be, light emitting from the empty sockets. It opened its mouth, or at least an opening where a mouth would be, only to emit more light. The hum started up again, the water pulsing with a strange electrical charge.

Leon made a surprised sound without meaning to, some of the precious oxygen escaping his lips while inhaling some of the thick, foul liquid.

He started swimming upwards, or at least where he hoped the surface was. The electrical hum was making him disoriented and nauseated, and he suddenly couldn’t tell which direction he had come from. He tried to find the way up, only to see more flickering lights turning on around him, that same monstrous face surrounding him from all angles. Was this what he had seen in the jungle? Was this the creature that had played with them all along, making them go around in circles in a jungle that never ended?

The light didn’t penetrate much of the water, so he was still in the dark, and he fumbled for his knife, remembering too late that he’d given it to Krauser. Still, he wasn’t about to give up. He latched on one of the creatures, fingers digging into oily, scaly flesh which somehow felt colder than the water surrounding them. The face didn’t change expression, but wiggled sickly under Leon’s grasp.

With one hand firmly imbedded in the creature, Leon reached around for his shotgun, moving it over his head, aiming it awkwardly at the creature. The lack of oxygen down in the water shouldn’t make it any harder to fire the shotgun, Leon knew this, but with the amount of water the blast would quickly lose momentum. So he dug the barrel of the gun against the creature, holding on for dear life as the other tendrils whipped against his back.

The muted sound of the shotgun blast was barely audible over the gargling screech of the creature, and it wailed and fought to throw him off. Leon wasn’t about to let go now, and he fired another shot into the flickering face, watching the light dying. Leon bared his teeth in triumph, before turning to one of the others to repeat the process.

There was something so satisfying about shooting them, watching the light in their eyes and mouth die out. It was like playing whack-a-mole, Leon clinging on to them and kicking them away after they went limp. For a moment he felt like he could really beat this thing, at least until pain soared through him when one of the tendrils whipped against his back, opening a gash he couldn’t tell went through his skin or just his clothing. He had to contain a groan, his lungs burning, his whole body fighting for more air, and he realized he’d die down here if he didn’t get back up. He tried not thinking about what that meant for Krauser.

He kicked against the creature, gliding through the hot oily darkness until his head finally broke the surface and he was able to gasp for air, sucking in as much oxygen as he could in rapid, deep gulps before going back in. It was probably the wrong way to go about it, he already felt lightheaded, but panic was making him desperate.

He clawed down the rubbery surface of the nearest tendril he saw, feeling his way through the oily water for anything that could resemble Krauser’s body.

The creature wasn’t about to let him get away with it, and it quickly twirled a slimy appendage around Leon’s leg, searching upwards until it found his middle, squeezing his waist with terrifying strength.

Leon had to bite back another groan, had to keep himself from not opening his mouth. He couldn’t lose any of the precious oxygen in his system, even though he could already tell his body was aching with the lack of it.

The grip around his shotgun had gone a bit slack, and he tightened his hold on it, cursing the whole damn facility, hell, cursing Chris for getting him down here in the first place, though he knew that was unfair. He fired what he hoped wasn’t his last shell into the creature, its face flush against his own, its leering blinding eyes suddenly filling up his entire world.

 _We’re gonna die down here._ There was a sudden, sickening moment of clarity, that in this moment he was helpless, completely in the mercy of something he couldn’t even identify.

Leon blinked and stared at the creature in cold fury, stared at the emotionless face, fingers digging into the soft flesh of it. He wasn’t about to let this thing beat him, but he realized how futile his fight was. The other faces had joined in, a dozen faces emitting lights across his face. He tried again to kick against the creature, but his boots just skidded off the slick surface.

And it was strange, but although the faces showed no emotion, he still felt that calculating stare from before, but whether it came from above or below, he couldn’t really say.

Whatever it was, whatever it came from, it had lured them to it, lured them into a wet, oily grave. Leon raised his gun sluggishly, but when he pulled the trigger, it just clicked uselessly. He didn’t let go of the shotgun, but let his arm fall, staring in resignation at the things surrounding him.

Then the water around him blackened further, inky stains blooming like ripples on a lake. The lights in the face closest to Leon flickered and died, and the remaining faces turned the other way, illuminating another face in the darkness.

Krauser’s eyes were narrowed in determination, bloodshot from the water and the strain, and he yanked the knife out of the tendril he had just stabbed, going for the one cradling Leon’s waist like a vice. The knife sunk into it, more tarry blood swirling in the water around them, and Leon finally felt the pressure around his middle ease up.

Krauser didn’t let him hesitate for even a second, grabbing Leon’s wrist and pulling him towards the surface. Behind them, momentarily blurred behind the blob of inky blood, the creature wailed and screeched.

The first to break the surface was Krauser, Leon following behind. They didn’t have the chance to do anything but rush for the shore, clawing their way across the damp sand.

It didn’t take long before the creature broke the surface as well, the long, black appendages whipping the air, the faces all flickering and screaming. It was much larger than it had seemed underwater, far more faces than they’d ever be able to stab or shoot.

“Ever heard of blast fishin’?” Krauser groaned, like he had read Leon’s thoughts, and Leon made an amused sound.

“Sure have.” Leon tugged on his backpack, slipping his hand in enough to fish the explosives out. Most of them were intended for long distance detonation, but he knew a few of them had a fuse. He lit one of them, hoping the fuse was of good enough quality to safely burn underwater.

The tendrils shot forward, faces all turned to Leon, and they charged with a high pitched whine, the explosives slapping against one tendril before falling and hitting the surface of the water with a thick gloppy sound.

Leon turned, grabbing Krauser’s hand when they made their way to the mouth of the jungle. For a sickening second he thought the fuse had failed, until the explosion tore through the room, making the ground shake under their feet. It was dulled by the water, but no less explosive. They weren’t close enough to catch the full blast, but the creature did, the high pitched scream cut short before various bits of slimy chunks and oily water rained over them as the blast made them dive forward.

They rolled around a few times, hands still intertwined, before they came to a stop. Their breath came out in harsh pants, and they simultaneously sat up far enough to look at the water.

Most of the water had evacuated the pool, but some was still trickling back into it, the long, black appendages from the creature wrapped along the shore, broken and seemingly half-melting into the stained sand.

"You okay?" Leon panted, and Krauser nodded in return. "Good, ‘cause we gotta keep moving."

Despite the chunks around them and the dying of the hum, he didn't quite trust that the dynamite had done enough. That it would ever be enough. Leon shuddered, thinking back at the dark minutes down in the water, suddenly remembering how long Krauser had stayed underwater.

He turned to Krauser, studying him without Krauser noticing, his attention still on the pool in front of them. Truth be told, Leon probably hadn’t seen all of Krauser’s abilities, beyond his arm, his speed and his ability to jump twenty feet without much effort. He had no idea how the virus worked. Or if it was still working at all.

“How did you hold your breath down there?” Leon asked. He intended the question to sound like casual interest, but Krauser wasn’t fooled.

“The virus didn’t give me gills, if that’s what you’re asking.” Krauser replied coolly, staring at Leon with narrowed eyes. “My training has been extensive, that’s all.”

Leon didn’t quite buy it, but he left it at that. They’d find out soon enough, one way or another, if Krauser was still infected.

“I jumped in there to save your ass. I didn’t expect you’d save mine.” He said instead, catching the change on Krauser’s face.

“It was a joined effort,” Krauser chuckled, but the chuckle turned into a wince and he clutched his waist. “It let go of me once you started fighting it.”

“Not exactly my plan, but good enough.”

Krauser helped him up, their hands slick with oily scum, and they both grimaced. They weren’t as bad off as Leon had expected them to be, and they stretched their limbs tentatively, testing muscles and backs before brushing off what they could of rubbery flesh from their clothing. The oily residue from the water was harder to deal with, but Leon tried to wipe his face clean with his hands.

“What I wouldn’t do for a shower.” Leon wrinkled his nose in disgust, coaxing another chuckle from Krauser.

“This isn’t much different from South America though, is it? Remember almost drowning in Javier’s sewage pipe?”

“That was a sewage pipe?!”

“Come on, kid, let’s move.” Krauser gave Leon a crooked grin.

They shot a final glance to the now silent and placid pool, walking into the jungle that suddenly felt a lot more welcoming than it had before.


End file.
